Door-operating mechanism for dumping-cars.



V A. G. ELVIN- noon OPERA'II'ING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING CARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.12 1910.

' Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNES E 1n: Mullins urns 50.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

A. G; ELVIN.

DOOR. OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING CABS.

- I APPLICATION FILED DEO.12, 1910. 987,223. V Patented Mar. 21,1911.

'4 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

n4: NORRIS PETERS cu., wnsnmcmu, n. c.

A. G. ELVIN. I DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING (JARS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 12, 1910. I 987,223, Y Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

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A. G. ELVIN. DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING cums.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 12, 1910.

'Patnted Mar. 21, 1911.

' 4 SHBETS-SHBBT 4.

WITNESSES THE NDRRIS PETERS co., wAsmimTaN, n. c.

ALBERT G. ELVIN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Rial. 21, 1911.

Original application filed October 11, 1910, Serial No. 586,444. Dividedand this application filed December To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. ELVIN, of East Orange, in the county ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Door-Operating Mechanism for Dumping-Cars, of whichimprovement the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to mechanism for effecting the opening andclosure of the swinging doors controlling the bottom openings of socalled drop bottom or dumping cars, of the type set forth in anapplication for Letters Patent, filed by me October 11, 1910, Ser. No.586,444, of which this application is a division, relating specificallyto one of the embodiments of my general in vention set forth therein,and its object is to provide an appliance of such character which shallbe simple and inexpensive in construction, and which, in operation,shall present the advantages of securely holding the doors in closedposition by a positive and effective gravity lock which is independentof the means whereby they are elevated into such position, and ofpermitting their release and movement into full open position withoutinvolving danger to the operator by sudden and rapid movement of themember which is manually operated to release them.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view, in elevation, ofa portion of a drop bottom car, illustrating an application of myinvention; Fig. 2, a plan or top View; Fig. 3, a side view, inelevation, of the final locking means of the doors; Fig. 4, a view,similar to Fig. 1, the parts being shown in position just preceding theunlocking of the door; Fig. 5, a similar view, with the door in openposition; and, Figs. 6, 7 and 8, views similar to Figs. 1, 4, and 5,respectively, showing a structural modification.

The operating mechanism is preferably, as shown, located between, andsupported on the center sills, 1, 1, of a car having hopper bottoms ordischarge chutes, 2, to the end openings of which are hinged swingingdoors, 8. A link, 4, is pivotally connected, at its lower end, to eachof the doors, 3, and has journaled in its upper end, a pin, 6, uponwhich are fixed two rollers, 6, which are adapted to traverse over thesurfaces of two parallel locking brackets, 7, secured to Serial No.596,775.

the center sills. The lower ends of the lock ing brackets are curved toform seats in which the rollers, 6, rest when the door is closed, andare thence inclined upwardly and in the direction of the door, fromwhich, inclined positions, they extend, by slightly downwardly inclinedtop faces, 7 in the direction of the door. It will be understood thatthe duplication of the rollers and looking brackets is made merely forthe purpose of equalizing the strain transmitted through the link, andthat the structural and operative principle of the appliance isindependent' of such duplication.

An operating shaft, 9, extends outwardly to one side of the car, and issquared, at and adjacent to its outer end, for the application of aremovable operating crank. A ratchet wheel, 10, is fixed upon theoperating shaft, and rotation of the latter is prevented when the teethof the ratchet wheel are engaged by a pivoted pawl or latch, 11, whichis held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by a swinging locking arm,12, pivoted to the side of the car above the ratchet wheel. An arm, 8,is fixed on the operating shaft, said arm extending downwardly therefromat an angle to the link, 4, when the door is in closed position, andcarrying, on its outer end, a pin, 8 The pin, 6, of the link, 4, ispivoted to the upper end of a bar, 8, in which there is formed alongitudinal slot, 8 and the pin, 8 of the arm, 8, is fitted to traversefreely in the slot, 8

In opening the door, the operating shaft is released from the pawl andratchet lock shown in Fig. 3, and is turned by a crank in the directionof the arrow, Fig. 1. The pin, 8*", of the arm, 8, traverses freelyupwardly in the slot, 8, of the bar, 8, until it reaches the upper endof the slot, against which it bears and raises the bar and the link, 4,coupled thereto. When the rollers, 6, of the link, reach the top faces,7*, of the locking brackets, 7, the bar is released from the pin, 8*,and the link is swung forward to the position shown in Fig. 5, by thegravity of the door and load, carrying with it the bar, 8, andpermitting the opening of the door, without imparting further movementto the arm, 8, and operating shaft, thus preventing any jerk or quickmotion of the crank and consequent injury to the operator. As shown inFig. 5, sufficient clearance is allowed in the slot, 8*, below the pin,

' run- I a -s 8 when in this position, to allow the door to swing freelyoutwardly when a heavy load is thrown upon it. 1 i

In order to close the door, the operating shaft is-rotated in oppositedirection to the arrow, Fig. 1, the bar, 8, being thereby drawndownwardly by the pin, 8 carrying with it the link, 4, which raises thedoor,

until the latter is closed, when the rollers,"

6, of the link, drop into and rest on the lower curved bearing seats ofthe locking brackets, 7. The door is looked in closed position by thegravity of the bar, 8, and the bearing of the rollers, 6, against theinclined faces of the locking brackets, 7 The final locking of the dooris'efl'ected by the pawl and ratchet look shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate a modification of structural detail, theoperation of which is identical with that of the construction abovedescribed, and which differs structurally therefrom only in theparticular that the slotted bar, 8, is, in this instance, straight,

. instead of being curved in segment form as in the former instance. Itwill be readily seen that the operations of opening and closing thedoor, and the locking of the door when closed, are effected in preciselythe same manner as above described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5inclusive.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

bracket normally supporting said link, an

operating shaft journaled in fixed bearings on a car, an arm fixed onsaid operating shaft, and a longitudinally slotted bar, pivotallyconnected to the link, and coupled through its slot to said arm, withthe capacity of movement relatively thereto.

2. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination of a gravityopening door, a link coupled to said door, a fixed locking bracket, anoperating shaft journaled in fixed bearings on a car, an arm fixed onsaid operating shaft, a roller journaled in the link in position totraverse over the locking bracket, a bar pivotally connected, at one ofits ends, to the shaft of said roller and having a longitudinal slot,and a pin fixed in the arm of the operating shaft and traversing in theslot of said bar.

3. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination of a gravityopening door, a fixed locking bracket comprising a curved lower seat, anupwardly inclined portion, and a slightly downwardly inclined top face,a link coupled to thedoor, a roller journaled in the end of said linkfarther from the door and normally resting in the curved seat of thelocking bracket, an operating shaft journaled in fixed bearings on acar, an arm fixed on said operating shaft, a bar pivotally connected, atone of its ends, to the shaft of the roller of the link and having alongitudinal slot, and a pin fixed in the arm of the operating shaft andtraversing in the slot of said bar.

- ALBERT Gr. ELVIN. WVitnesses F. W. MARTIN, C. L. WINEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

